SUCCESSFUL SCHOOLS: From Research to Action Plans
Part 3
4. Start with SE & ESL Students
1. Main content of instruction is based on data.
2. Teachers- utilize and know students learning style, interests and strengths/weaknesses by
monitoring success and failure of students continuously (data based and current)
3. Teachers- engage parents in children’s learning.
4. Teachers- focus on main end goal; life after high school.
5. Teachers- utilize current research, technology and break down learning into bite size “edible”
learning guides for the students.
A successful school does believe that all Students can learn!
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High expectations for all students!!!
o School designs itself to meet needs of most “difficult” students then applies the same
principals to all students.
School Culture- all students can and will be successful! SE and ESL populations are growing..
Therefore their success is our success their failures are ours too!
Simply stated, if we leave ESL and SE behind we leave the whole school behind.
5. Data-based Decision Making
There was no data to support the important claims made in this section
1. Base curriculum on what students need to know.
2. Focusing students on the applications of math, science and language arts through CTE is an
effective way to teach pure academic skills while keeping students engaged because their
education is focused on useful skills.
3. Tests need to be developed in quadrant D to encourage teachers to teach and students to learn
higher order thinking skills.
Example of Applied Data-based Decision making…
6. Transition Years
To ease the transition from 8th grade to 9th grade / High School, high performing schools prepare by:
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2.
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Providing copies of the HS newspaper
Freshmen Teachers often visit the middle school
HS has a parent night for 8th graders
Eighth graders visit HS at least twice
Eighth grade teacher loops to the 9th grade
Detailed information about students is shared with 9th grade faculty prior to arrival
Upon entering the 9th grade, initiatives taken include:
7. “Looped” teachers provide students with a contact person
8. Assign teacher that best relate to students to the 9th grade
9. Implement several intervention actions in case of difficulty
10. Have lots of student data & keep it accurate!!
11. Focus on literacy!!
12. Assign a junior or senior as a mentor buddy.
13. Have afterschool tutorial for students that need extra help
7. Systems
*High performing schools cannot be maintained without extensive support from the district and state.
1. Because of financial constraints over the past several years,
state departments have had to become more regulatory in
action and have had to decrease their technical support,
this is negative for schools trying to maintain high standards
for their students.
2. When the district and the state allocate their limited resources to assist teachers rather than to
regulate them, high performing schools are achieved.
a. Extensive resources in the area of curriculum support services for classroom teachers.
b. Technology is made available for classroom teachers.
c. Peer coaches are assigned to students
d. Professional development is widely available in the form of high-quality well-focused
professional development activities, instead of as district-wide staff development days.